Do people really work longer and harder in the DC area than anywhere else? (how much, lawyers)

[saganista]

Average Travel Time to Work, Over Age 16, Work Outside the Home...
[in minutes]

Prince William County, VA -- 36.4
Prince George's County, MD -- 35.5
Montgomery County, MD -- 32.7
Loudon County, VA -- 30.8
Fairfax County, VA -- 30.7
Washington, DC -- 28.4
Arlington County, VA -- 27.3

-- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey

[DCMetroGal]

As a long time Metro area resident (since kindergarten...), Realtor, and spouse of a federal contractor, these are the observations I've formed:

1) The commuting times quoted by the Census look nicer than the times most friends/family spend going to and from work.
2) The biggest issue is for those who work in the city or close-in.
3) As a fed. contractor, hubby has two computers going at one time...and somehow is working on both of them. He's on a flex schedule to get every other Friday off...which he more than pays for. It's supposed to be 8 nine hour shifts, and 1 eight hour shift... Instead it's more like 8 ten 1/2 (if he takes a 1/2 lunch break...) and a ten...in a good two week period. Plus a 45 min-1 hour commute each way. We live in Rockville, so we are not out in the sticks... (He leaves home at 5:30 each morning and gets home by 6:30-7:00
4) With the type of business, gov, etc. here I suspect that many employees have extended hours to conference w/ other time zones...
5) Due to the ever increasing commuting times, there seems to be a general shift away from larger home sites (Who wants to cut all that grass? Or pay someone to cut it?) and move "closer-in", whatever that means to an individual.
6) RE prices go up enormously as one moves closer in, thus, more folks are willing to make due w/ less space, provided they can walk or have a less than 5 minute commute to metro.
7) Another trend is individuals/couples who are mid-late career and sell the big house, move to a condo, and have a second (bigger) home in a nearby, more tax friendly/ price s/f area. That way they can "get away" each weekend, while having an easy commute without a lot of home maintenance during the work week.
8) This especially becomes an option for those who work for the fed or an employer w/ a similar structure: one client chooses to not get paid for OT, instead he banks it so he works a 4 day week...every week...

Hope this helps.

[JakeDog]

Professional jobs are more demanding. There are more professionals in DC, so it is more demanding. Yes, government workers often work hard for the pay, but there is no way the average government lawyer works the same hours as a private attorney (why would they? They are paid crap and many specifically went to the government to get out of that lifestyle). People in Silicon Valley, New York, Chicago, also work similarly hard. I'm not sure about people "loving" their jobs- some might. Unfortunately, though, in America you are often given the choice between high paying extremely demanding jobs, or little to no career at all. If you are an investment banker or lawyer, you are not given the choice to cut back hours for less pay- you either take the big bucks and work long hours or you get canned. I think people underestimate just how dead end a lot of high paying jobs are. I have a friend who is an I banker who makes well over $200K and hates his job- the problem he has- he couldn't get any other job out of business school that paid more than $100K. So it was either take the big pay at a job he hates (7 days a week) or be unemployed. Weird.

[claremarie]

If you are an investment banker or lawyer, you are not given the choice to cut back hours for less pay- you either take the big bucks and work long hours or you get canned.

I can't speak for investment banking, but I assure you that many attorneys (I am one of them) have made the choice to reduce their hours in exchange for less money. There are part-time options available at many private firms, and some larger firms have created new positions such as "permanent associate" (usually called something that sounds better like "of counsel" or "staff attorney") for those folks, often but not always mothers of young children, who just don't care about making partner but still want interesting work. Attorneys who want to bail from the billable hours demanded by top private firms can also join the in-house legal departments of corporations, universities, trade associations, unions, etc -- there are MANY such positions in the DC area. Not to mention the plethora of government legal jobs, some of which (such as those held by federal prosecutors, Supreme Court clerks, Justice Department officials, White House counsel) are every bit as demanding as the most intense elite law firm, but many of which are strictly 9-5 gigs with salaries to match.

[JakeDog]

Originally Posted by claremarie

If you are an investment banker or lawyer, you are not given the choice to cut back hours for less pay- you either take the big bucks and work long hours or you get canned.

I can't speak for investment banking, but I assure you that many attorneys (I am one of them) have made the choice to reduce their hours in exchange for less money. There are part-time options available at many private firms, and some larger firms have created new positions such as "permanent associate" (usually called something that sounds better like "of counsel" or "staff attorney") for those folks, often but not always mothers of young children, who just don't care about making partner but still want interesting work. Attorneys who want to bail from the billable hours demanded by top private firms can also join the in-house legal departments of corporations, universities, trade associations, unions, etc -- there are MANY such positions in the DC area. Not to mention the plethora of government legal jobs, some of which (such as those held by federal prosecutors, Supreme Court clerks, Justice Department officials, White House counsel) are every bit as demanding as the most intense elite law firm, but many of which are strictly 9-5 gigs with salaries to match.

I agree with the government jobs, but many of the prestigious ones are far more competitive than firm jobs- believe me. On "staff attorney", I think these options are generally easier for women to obtain than men. Many firms just have different expectations for men. And with regard to investment banking- there are few other options and not a ton of transferable skil.s

[titaniummd]

This region is the hub for a lot of corporations and the type of people who live here are very driven, successful and ambitious individuals who do nothing less than 110%. Many of my friends are like that there. If you're not like that, there are a few people ready to take that spot in your place.

Many of my friends who work the 40 hour work week still get contacted on their Blackberry at home and the weekends and that time isn't even counted as 'overtime'.

Work hours will vary on industry and what level you are in the 'food chain'.

[pvnova]

This is definetely not a laid back area, but it is not NYC or SFBA either. Most white collar workers work for gov or gov contractors, gov subsidized entities, non-profits etc.
There are some startups (mostly in Reston-Herndon and Rockville-Geithersburg areas) where people work hard, but otherwise... come on, roads are clear by 6:30-7pm, compare it to those other areas where heavy traffic persists well after 8pm...

[Kensington]

This is an interesting thread. I have lived in DC and the surrounding burbs for 15 years. This area is filled with type-A overachievers and many people who feel passionate about their work-- and really can talk of nothing else. I'd say if you are looking for a professional position and want to be promoted, be prepared to put in hours. I've worked in the non-profit and for the government, and anybody in a managerial or mid-level position in the organizations I worked at, worked 50-60 hour weeks at least. It is very hard to not get caught up in the workaholic culture. I think e-mail, cellphones, blackberries, etc. have just made this worse. Of course, jobs requiring less of a time commitment can be found, but you are probably not going to have a great deal of responsibility within the organization/company. Best of luck to you.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by pvnova

... come on, roads are clear by 6:30-7pm, compare it to those other areas where heavy traffic persists well after 8pm...

You must work at home...

[pvnova]

Originally Posted by saganista

You must work at home...

No such luck. 267 every day, often 495, 270, 123, 7, 606 etc. all packed up at 6, easy flow by 6:30-7.

But seriosly, where do you find traffic jams at 7pm around here? Maybe if there is an accident or something...